Family Vengeance
by saiken2009
Summary: Sequel to "Family Ties".
1. Teenage Girls

Author's Note: I'm testing the waters on this. I had most of it written before having my heart and trust in people shred to pieces. I took a break from my other story, and may still need some time with that one. I am still trying to balance out my emotions as it is. Part of me hates the idea of friendship and therefore everything the boys stand for. The other part is just becoming numb. But I am curious to see how this goes; see if anyone likes this or not. If so, I will most likely continue. After all, this and the friendship the Monkees are about is only fiction. Not real.

Chapter 1: Teenage Girls

Micky sat behind his drumset with his friends on stage. They were performing a show they'd performed many times before now and all having fun. It had been years since the turmoil they'd faced with their families and they'd moved on. They had finally found steady work. Patty had decided to open a restaurant nightclub that featured music at night and for the past couple of years the boys had been the headliners. They'd made a name for themselves around southern California and had managed to get several other performances as well. They'd moved beyond doing birthday parties and had started doing big events at discotheques.

Micky and Peter were the only two still living at the Pad; Davy and Mike were both living with their girlfriends. Mike had been in the relationship for nearly 4 years and had been living with her for the past 3. Davy had been in a relationship for 3 years and had been living with her for 2 and a half. Micky and Peter missed their friends, but enjoyed living on their own. Mike and Davy came over almost every day to practice, so it wasn't like they didn't see each other any more. But Peter and Micky enjoyed their new space nonetheless.

Halfway through the last song before their break, Micky spotted his baby sister in the audience. It was a Wednesday night, so Micky got a little upset when he saw her. He finished the song, however, then walked off the stage toward her after they thanked the audience and bowed. Davy, Mike and Peter were not very far behind him; they'd seen her too.

"Marcy, what are you doing here?" Micky asked.

"I wanted to see you play," Marcy answered innocently.

"On a school night?" Micky asked.

"I was gonna go home after your break," Marcy argued.

"Shouldn't you be doing your homework?" Micky asked.

"I was doing it," Marcy said. "I finished already. It was easy. My new teachers don't really challenge me that much."

"You wouldn't be lying to me, would you?" Micky asked.

"Oh come on, Micky," Marcy sighed. "You don't trust me?"

"Not since your teacher told me you were missing half your assignments even though you claim to be doing them," Micky said.

"I forgot about those," Marcy said. "That class bores me!"

"Oh come on, Micky," Davy said. "I don't think she'd flat lie to you. And it's just one night out. What harm can that do?"

"Thank you, Uncle Davy," Marcy smiled.

"Seeing as how she's very behind in that class, a lot of harm," Mike said backing up Micky. "But it's not really our place to raise her. It's up to Micky and Patty. So what they say goes."

"Does Patty even know you're here?" Micky asked. Patty had adopted Marcy years ago after the fiasco with their parents to prevent her from being put in the foster care system; Micky had the option, but knew he wouldn't be able to at the time physically or financially. Because Patty and the boys were so close, Patty and Micky had agreed they'd raise her together.

"Sort of," Marcy said.

"Sort of?" Micky asked.

"She thinks I'm at the library," Marcy said as though it were nothing. "But I finished early and don't have to be home yet so I thought I'd come see my favorite uncles and brother."

"She doesn't know where you are?!" Micky asked angrily. "You should have called her!"

"Why?" Marcy said. "She knows I'm out and won't be home till later. She doesn't need to know where I am every second of the day."

"You're fourteen," Micky said. "Yes, she does."

"I'm not going anywhere dangerous," Marcy said rolling her eyes a little. Micky really wasn't liking this teenage phase of hers and didn't exactly know how to handle it. "I don't need to be treated like a baby. Nothing is gonna happen to me between here and the library and home."

"You don't really know that," Micky said. "And yes, we do need to know where you are. It's our job to protect you."

"You're being over-protective," Marcy spat.

"No, we're being parents," Micky said.

"Well, stop then, cause you aren't," Marcy said. The words hit Micky like an oncoming train. He didn't really know what to say as Marcy turned on her heel and left in a huff.

"I'll get her," Peter said running after her.

"Make sure she gets home," Mike called after Peter.

"Micky, you know she doesn't mean that, right?" Davy asked. "She's a teenage girl. They are kinda notorious for saying stupid shit."

"Let's just play our last set so I can go home," Micky said. "Can you play the bass for Peter?"

"Sure," Davy said and the three of them reluctantly played their last set. Micky couldn't focus on it or really enjoy it though. It didn't sound as good without Peter, even though Davy had gotten really good at playing bass over the years. When they'd finished, they packed their instruments behind the stage and walked out to the parking lot in silence. Davy and Mike said good-bye to Micky, but he didn't really pay much attention as they each walked to their cars. Micky and Peter still shared the GTO they'd kept fixed up over the years and Davy and Mike each had their own cars. It was almost midnight, but Micky didn't care. He didn't drive home; he wanted to talk things out. Micky parked the car in the driveway, got out and knocked on the door.

"Hi," Patty smiled when she answered. "It's really late, Micky."

"Did Peter drop Marcy off?" Micky asked.

"Yeah," Patty said stepping aside to let him in. He sat down on the couch and buried his head in his hands. "I take it Peter told you?" Micky asked.

"Yes," Patty answered. "Don't tell me this is the first time she's ever said something like that to you."

"It's not for you?" Micky asked.

"Micky, I hear this on a weekly basis," Patty said. "I've heard how she hates me, how she wishes I never adopted her, and how I'm not her real mother. But I know she's a teenager. It hurt at first, but I know she doesn't really mean it. She's just angry."

"What is she angry about?" Micky asked.

"She's a teenage girl, so everything," Patty laughed.

"I'm serious," Micky said. "I want to know why she hates me."

"She doesn't hate you, Micky," Patty said. "It's hard enough to be her age as it is and you add into that all the issues that come with her life."

"Isn't therapy supposed to help with that?" Micky asked.

"Yes, but she stopped going," Patty sighed.

"What?" Micky asked. "Why?"

"She didn't want to go anymore," Patty said. "He tried to say she has abandonment issues and she doesn't feel she needs it."

"Abandonment issues?" Micky asked. "Our parents didn't abandon her…"

"I know, that's not what he was trying to say," Patty said.

"What, I abandoned her?" Micky asked. "I let you adopt her cause I thought she'd be better off."

"She knows that," Patty said. "That's why she doesn't like him. She knows you thought it was best and she knows you knew you'd still be part of her life."

"Maybe we should just find another therapist," Micky said.

"She doesn't want to do it," Patty said.

"So?" Micky asked.

"You ever hear the phrase 'You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink'?" Patty asked.

"Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?" Micky asked.

"We can give her the tools in therapy, but we can't make her use them if she doesn't want to," Patty answered. "She has to want to work at it or it's just a waste of time and money."

"So what do we do?" Micky asked.

"What makes you think I know how to handle this any better than you?" Patty asked.

"You just know how to raise kids better," Micky said.

"Why do you think that?" Patty asked. "If you say I'm a woman and have natural motherly instincts, I will smack you."

"AJ seems to be ok," Micky said smiling at the picture of Alan Jr. on the table in front of him.

"He got sent home from school today for throwing a crayon at the teacher's head," Patty said.

"Oh," Micky laughed.

"It's not funny," Patty smiled.

"It's kinda funny," Micky said. "So I guess neither of us has an idea what to do."

"I don't know," Patty answered heavily. "I really do wish I had the answers, but I'm flying just as blindly as you are here. She wants attention, I know that. That's why she's acting out in school, not doing her homework and doing this stuff. I don't want to reward her bad behavior by giving her what she wants. But I can't ignore her, either. I don't know what to do."

"It's not like she's starving for attention," Micky said. "We spend time with her. Is it not enough?"

"Well, for now she's grounded," Patty said. "We just deal with the rest as it comes."

"Thanks," Micky said.

"Feel better?" Patty asked.

"A little," Micky answered.

"You can't take this stuff personally," Patty said. "She loves you with all her heart. You did everything for her and she knows that. She just needs to work through some issues. And remember, she's only 14 so we have a really long road ahead of us. Pretty soon she's gonna be dating and-"

"No!" Micky said suddenly. "No dating and no anything else. Not while she's under my watch."

"So you're saying we keep her from knowing the ways of men until she's 18 and on her own so she can make the mistakes without our supervision?" Patty asked smiling at him as though she knew she'd won the argument with that simple statement. But he sighed knowing she was right. "You can't muzzle her, Micky. But you can put a leash on her. Let her explore and learn now while we can still pull her back."

"I know," Micky said. "I just wish she was still 8. She's growing up too fast."

"It's late, Micky," Patty said. "You look tired. Go home and get some sleep. I need to get to bed so I can take the kids to school in the morning."

"Thank you, Patty," Micky said before leaving to go home. Marcy's words still bothered him a little, but he did feel better. Patty and his friends were right, Marcy was a teenager and he couldn't really listen to what she said.

* * *

Davy walked inside the home he shared with his girlfriend of nearly two years and sat down with a heavy sigh before taking off his boots. He felt tired and drained and didn't really want to leave the couch but knew he'd have to; he couldn't sleep on the couch. It wasn't uncomfortable, but Libby had been extremely picky lately. If he didn't join her, he wouldn't hear the end of it for days.

"Where were you?" Libby asked from the hallway just as Davy stood. She had long brown hair and was about as tall as Davy with blue eyes.

"I was at the show," Davy said. "I told you I had a performance tonight."

"I didn't think you'd be gone so long," Libby said.

"I wasn't really gone any longer than I normally am," Davy said. "What's really going on?"

"Who's Anna?" Libby asked firmly crossing her arms.

"I don't know," Davy answered honestly.

"She called looking for you," Libby said. "Is she your girlfriend?"

"No, you are," Davy answered. "You really think I'm cheating on you?"

"She said she wanted to meet for lunch tomorrow," Libby said.

"I don't know who she is," Davy sighed heavily. He knew by now that trying to argue further was pointless. "Did she say why she wanted to meet for lunch or maybe even give a last name?"

"Moody," Libby said.

"Oh!" Davy said laughing now.

"This isn't funny, David," Libby snorted.

"Miss Moody is Marcy's teacher!" Davy said.

"So you're cheating on me with Marcy's teacher?" Libby asked.

"Of course not!" Davy answered stifling his laughter. He thought once Libby understood who this person was, she'd drop it. He was starting to tire of these fights.

"Then why would Marcy's teacher need to talk to you?" Libby asked. "Why not Micky or Patty?"

"I have no idea," Davy said. "But I guess I'll find out tomorrow."

"Of course you will," Libby said snidely and stormed off. Davy sighed and rolled his eyes. He sank back onto the couch and made himself comfortable throwing the blanket over his legs and feet. He would sleep on the couch tonight after all.


	2. Trouble-Maker

Author's Note: OK, this was really hard for me to write because I'm still having a lot of issues personally. I didn't get a lot of support for chapter one, so I'll see how this goes to see if I should even keep going or not. Having people enjoy my writing is supposed to be therapeutic for me, but since I'm not sure I even understand the definition of friendship is, writing about the Monkees is really hard. Even thinking about them and listening to their music is hard. It still hurts to even breathe let alone do anything else, but maybe with some support I can start getting a little better. I have to rebuild my trust in people. So here goes…

Chapter 2: Trouble-Maker

Mike sat at the bar in Patty's nightclub the next morning. He'd come in just to help clean up from the night before, but it had turned out they didn't really need the help. He was trying to keep his mind busy, but so far hadn't had any luck. Whenever he tried to even write a new song, he felt blocked, which was a rare occurrence for him. Patty walked in a few minutes after he'd sat at the bar. He had a small drink in his hand that he'd poured for himself. Patty smiled at him and walked behind the bar to start setting up for the pre-afternoon lunch.

"I'll pay for this," Mike said.

"Don't worry about it," Patty said. "But isn't it kinda early to be drinking?"

"Thought it might take the edge off," Mike answered.

"How's that working for you?" Patty asked.

"Not very well," Mike sighed.

"You wanna talk about it?" Patty asked.

"Bartenders make the best therapists?" Mike asked with a smirk.

"I seem to be doing a lot of therapeutic listening lately," Patty answered.

"Keep this between us?" Mike asked.

"Of course," Patty answered.

"I think Lacey is cheating on me," Mike said desolately and downing the last bit of drink in his hand. Lacey was his girlfriend and the woman he'd been living with for three years now. They'd been together more than four and he hated having these thoughts about her, but couldn't help it.

"What makes you say that?" Patty asked seriously.

"She keeps pulling all these double shifts at work," Mike answered. "But we don't exactly have any extra money."

"That is odd, but doesn't lead to cheating," Patty said.

"It isn't just that," Mike said. "It's a lot of little things. She hangs up the phone when I walk in the room and lies to me saying she wasn't on the phone. Our neighbor has said he's seen a man come around the house while I'm rehearsing with the guys. And…"

"And what?" Patty asked.

"I think she's pregnant," Mike sighed. "But we haven't…"

"Oh," Patty answered sounding a little shocked and sad. Mike was a little uncomfortable with talking about all this, but knew he really could trust Patty with all of this. They were really like family. Part of him wanted her to tell him it was all in his head, but part of him knew if she did it would be a lie. "I don't know what to say."

"Tell me I'm crazy and overthinking everything," Mike offered.

"I love you, Mike," Patty said. "You know I do. You're family. I can't lie to you. I can't say she is or she isn't, but I know that if you believe that, it's probably true. You don't really misjudge people and you don't really suspect people for no reason."

"Thanks, I think," Mike sighed.

"Have you talked to her about this?" Patty asked.

"Once," Mike said. "Last week when I found the pre…the test in the trash," Mike said unable to really bring himself to say the word. He couldn't explain why; he'd said the word before.

"What did she say?" Patty asked.

"She said I was crazy," Mike answered. "Then stormed off. What should I do?"

"What do you want to do?" Patty asked.

"I honestly have no idea," Mike answered. "I can't stay with her if she's cheating on me. But I don't exactly have any proof or anywhere to go even if I had proof."

"Don't be silly, Mike," Patty smiled. "Of course you have a place to go. You always have me and you always have Micky, Peter and Davy."

"I can't just ask to move back into the Pad or anything," Mike said.

"Why not?" Patty asked. "I know they'd welcome you. They miss you."

"What if I'm wrong," Mike asked.

"Does that matter?" Patty asked surprising him a little. "The fact that you have these suspicions kinda says something about the relationship in and of itself. I can't say you're right or wrong, but I can say that she is keeping something from you and she is lying to you. And that isn't healthy for either of you."

"I guess you have a point," Mike said. "When I asked her to get a place with me I actually asked her to marry me, too."

"You never told me that," Patty said.

"It was supposed to be a surprise," Mike said. "She said she wasn't ready to get married yet."

"I'm so sorry," Patty said. "I wish I could do more."

"You've actually done a lot," Mike said knowing what he'd have to do, even if he didn't like it.

* * *

Peter followed Micky down the halls of Marcy's high school. She was a freshman and had really only been attending for a few months, but Peter and Micky had already come to know the halls well enough. Whenever Micky was called down to discuss her missing assignments and slipping grades, Peter usually came along. Today, however, they were a little startled to see Mike and Davy standing outside the door to Anna Moody's classroom, Marcy's science teacher.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Micky asked.

"Not really sure," Mike answered shrugging his shoulders. "We both got phone calls asking us to come down and talk to Miss Moody."

"Isn't this all kinda your territory?" Davy asked.

"I thought it was," Micky answered.

"Oh good, you're all here," the principal said walking toward them with Miss Moody. Peter had only met her once, but still remembered her. "Come inside and have a seat please."

"Is everything all right?" Micky asked worried. "Why are we all here?"

"Please just have a seat," Miss Moody said.

"Shouldn't Patty be here?" Peter asked as the four of them sat in seats around the classroom.

"I spoke with her yesterday," the principal answered.

"She thought it would be a good idea for us to speak with all of you," Miss Moody said. "Marcy is a brilliant student. From the first day of class I knew she would be exceptional. And she is. Even in my advanced class, she's outshining the others. Most students struggle with the harder concepts but she seems to grasp them as easily as…"

"Breathing air?" Micky finished for her.

"Exactly," Miss Moody said.

"So what's the problem?" Peter asked. "Other than her homework."

"She's been tardy several times in the last couple of weeks and has started this trend of just not showing up to her classes at all," the principal answered.

"Oh," Peter sighed.

"Her grades are slipping dramatically," Miss Moody continued.

"We have tried to help her with that," Micky sighed.

"I know," Miss Moody said. "We think it's because of this boy she's been hanging around with a lot."

"A boy?" Micky asked sounding a little choked.

"Yes, his name is Lucas," the principal said. "He's known as quite a trouble-maker. Suspended several times. I suspect is having a bad influence over her."

"A boy?" Micky repeated.

"Yes, Micky," Mike said. "She is in high school now. That's about the time girls and boys notice each other. Especially with Homecoming around the corner. I just wish it wasn't a boy like that."

"So what should we do?" Peter asked. "If we tell her to stop, it's just gonna make her want to do it more. Won't it?"

"That's very likely," Miss Moody said. "I can't give you an answer, but I know how teenagers react. But I do want to help Marcy. She could go very far and accomplish a lot if she got herself back on track. It's normal for teenagers to rebel, but I believe we should rein hers in at least for now. There's a really good opportunity for her coming up."

"What kind of opportunity?" Davy asked.

"There are a few Ivy League colleges recruiting freshman for a summer workshop camp," Miss Moody said. "The workshop gives them excellent experience and training as well as offering a scholarship for when they go to college. If the students do well at the workshop, they are invited back the following year for a chance at more scholarships. There is a chance she can get a full ride scholarship to whatever college she wants. If she gets accepted. And if her grades keep slipping like this, she won't."

"That sounds amazing," Davy said.

"Yes, but Miss Moody has a point," Peter said. "If she doesn't pull her grades back up, she'll blow it."

"Again we come to the question of what we do," Mike said.

"Again, I don't really have an answer for you," Miss Moody said. "But we will do whatever you want us to in order to help. Marcy deserves an opportunity like this."

"Thank you for telling us about this," Mike said. "I'm sure Micky appreciates it too, as soon as he recovers from the shock his baby sister is dating."

"She is NOT dating," Micky said boldly.

"Micky, just relax," Davy said. "We don't like it any more than you do, but she's not 8 anymore."

"We'll figure this out, Micky, don't worry," Mike said standing up. "Thank you both for informing us. We'll let you get back to work now."

"We're here for Marcy," the principal said. "She really is a good student and it's difficult to see her go down this path. We have school counselors that can help if she wants it."

"Of course," Peter smiled. He led the four from the room out into the hall where he truly noticed how angry Micky looked.

"You can't keep her a child forever, Micky," Mike said.

"No, just until she's 30," Micky answered.

"I seem to remember someone putting on a wig and a dress to act as chaperone to one of my dates who was 17," Davy said. "And she really hated how tight of a grip he had over her. You wanna end up like that? Cause if you keep going down this anti-boy road, you're gonna push her there."

"Well she clearly isn't making good decisions here," Micky said.

"No, but that's what teenagers do," Mike said. "And we aren't saying let her go out on the town or anything, but you can't restrain her. She has to learn some of these things the hard way now or she learn them the hard way when we can't be there to help protect her."

"Right," Peter said. "We give her an inch. Not a mile. She can date, but we should know who they are and what they're doing."

"That's a great idea," Davy said. "We invite this guy for a family dinner and get to know him."

"How is that going to convince her to clean up her grades and stay away from him?" Micky asked.

"Because, my curly-haired friend, we are all going to get to know him, and he's going to get to know us," Mike said wrapping his arm around Micky's shoulders, smiling almost devilishly and leading Micky down the hall. "And that's when we can let him know that he needs to stay about 30 miles away from her if he knows what's good for him."

* * *

"Do you really think that's going to work?" Patty asked later that night after they'd told her Mike's plan. "If he's that much of a trouble-maker, won't he just start sneaking around to be with her?"

"Not if we scare him enough," Mike said. "We are four men talking to a boy letting him know what's good for him."

"He's a teenage boy," Patty said. "They aren't exactly known for being that smart. They think with their hormones. Or don't any of you remember that?"

"Hey, I was a good teenager!" Peter protested.

"That's cause you were too scared to bring any girl home to our parents," Patty laughed.

"Maybe we should play that card with him," Micky suggested.

"What card?" Davy asked.

"Peter's parents?" Mike asked flabbergasted. How could Micky even possibly think something like that? Mike knew he was upset about the idea of his baby sister dating, but he still expected Micky to know better than to drag Peter's parents into this. "You can't be serious."

"Why not?" Micky asked. "We just drop little hints that we all have relatives in jail and connected with the mob. It'll send him running for the hills!"

"Because I don't want anyone knowing who we are related to," Peter said firmly. "We just got over that stigma in the papers. I'm tired of being referred to as the lovable mob boss's son."

"Miss Moody told me the boy gets into a fight at least once a week," Patty said. "I don't think that will be a deterrent for him."

"We gotta do something to make him fear us," Micky said.

"I gotta say, I think Micky's right," Davy said. "But we should use that as a last resort. Try just reasoning with the kid first, then threaten. If he thinks we can sick the mob on him, he should leave her alone. Unless you want her to throw away her future over this kid."

"None of us wants that, Davy," Mike sighed.

"I don't think I like any of this," Patty said. "I think if we meddle in her life, she's gonna hate us. She's a teenager. She's supposed to make mistakes."

"Yes, but this guy could really ruin her," Mike said.

"We don't know that," Patty said. "None of us knows him."

"I agree with Patty," Peter said. "Maybe we should see what kind of person he is first. We could be scaring him for nothing. For all we know, we could just tell him that she has a chance like this but if she's not focused it will go away and he'll leave her alone."

"Again, Peter," Mike sighed. "Teenage boy and teenage hormones. Doesn't exactly make for really logical thinking. But we don't know him and we don't know what may or may not scare him. And we won't know until we meet him."


	3. Always Welcome

Author's Note: Alright, kinda getting back into a groove here. I am a work in progress. Bear with me just a bit longer and the few of you who have reviewed thereby showing support in my stories is extremely helpful. Thank you so much. I am serious when I say were it not for your reviews, I would not still be writing. Reviews mean more to authors than you may realize. When we see there are 10 people who read the chapter, but don't get reviews, we wonder if those 10 people hate it after reading it.

Chapter 3: Always Welcome

Mike sat at his kitchen table that night. He knew he should just pack up and leave, but he felt he had to give her the benefit of the doubt. Or at least an explanation. When he'd gotten home, he'd started packing, but couldn't bring himself to actually leave. He had to know for sure what the truth was before he left. He knew he shouldn't, but he'd gone through her things. What he found broke his heart. Sitting in her dresser drawer was a report from her doctor. She really was pregnant.

Now he sat here waiting for her to come home. He felt he needed to confront her. The report was sitting on the table in the middle, but he couldn't bring himself to really look at it anymore. Part of him was screaming to just take his stuff, pack up his car and go, but another part wanted to let her explain. Not that there was really much to explain.

"Mike," Lacey said in surprise when she walked in. "What are you still doing up? It's almost two in the morning."

"I was waiting for you," Mike answered and gestured to the report on the table he still couldn't bring himself to look at. "And you should have been home hours ago."

"What is that?" she asked picking the report up off the table. When she realized what it was, she flushed red with anger and exploded. "You went through my things!?"

"It's not like you were very forthcoming," Mike countered fighting to keep control of his own emotions. "I had to find out somehow. I don't even know why you kept this from me in the first place. I was gonna find out eventually. Did you just wanna string me along like a puppet or something?"

"You're so full of it," she hissed. "You think you know what's going on here, don't you?"

"I asked you about this weeks ago and you lied," Mike said. "And we both know it's not mine."

"I don't know what you want from me," she answered angrily.

"How about an explanation," Mike said. "That'd be a good place to start. I thought you were happy."

"How could I be happy?" she countered. "When I met you, I thought you were going to be something. Make it big. Be rich. But you never will. Not unless you clip your ties to those loser friends of yours."

"Don't you dare!" Mike boomed losing his temper and slamming his fist on the table. "Don't you dare talk about them like that. They are the most important people in the world to me!"

"More important than me?" she asked. "You spend all your time with them and they're nothing but a bunch of immature clowns!"

"No, they aren't," Mike said jumping up from the table. This wasn't going the way he thought it would at all.

"Yes, they are," she answered. "Micky does nothing but make jokes all day, Davy backs him up, and Peter is the biggest idiot I've ever met! They're worthless!"

"You're wrong," Mike said. "If that's what you think about them, then yes. I choose them over you. Without even a second thought. Without them, I'd be nothing."

"You are nothing with them," she sneered. "All they do is hold you back."

"I tried to give you a chance," Mike said. "I tried to let you give me some sort of explanation so we could handle this, but that was a mistake."

"So just go," she said. "Run off to your stupid little friends." Mike felt himself shaking with rage as she stormed off and slammed their bedroom door. He really didn't have much, but he'd packed what he did have hours ago and set it near the door. It was obvious she hadn't even seen it when she'd walked in. It didn't really matter anyway. He took a few deep breaths before grabbing the suitcases by the door and piling them into the car. When he went back for his guitar, he placed the key to the house on the table next to the report Lacey had thrown back down.

* * *

Peter heard a soft knock on the door only a few minutes after he'd gone to bed. He'd had a late night with his date and had only gotten home an hour earlier. After a nice shower, he was now lying in bed ready to sleep. He wondered who'd be knocking on the door at this hour, but knew it couldn't really be that good. He got out of bed and walked toward the door. He was surprised to see Mike behind it.

"Hey, Mike," Peter said opening the door to let his friend in.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" Mike asked.

"No, I was just going to bed," Peter said giving a worried look to the guitar strapped over Mike's shoulder. "What's the matter?"

"I didn't want to wake you, but I have nowhere else to go," Mike said. "I don't really have the money for a hotel right now."

"Why didn't you just use your key?" Micky asked coming out of his room.

"Sorry, I just…it's not really my house," Mike said.

"We let you keep the key for a reason, Mike," Micky said. "This place will always be your house. Wanna tell us what happened?"

"I left Lacey," Mike answered sighing and burying his face in his hands.

"Why?" Peter asked. "I thought you really loved her."

"So did I," Mike answered heavily. "But she's…she's going to be a mother."

"She's pregnant?" Peter asked confused. Wasn't that a good thing?

"I'm not going to be a father," Mike answered simply, but Peter could still hear the pain beneath the words.

"How do you know?" Peter asked.

"Because it's not possible," Mike answered. "She's about four months along…"

"And we were in New York four months ago," Micky sighed.

"And we've barely even shared a bed over the last six months," Mike answered. "Let alone anything else. I don't even remember the last time we even so much as kissed."

"I'm sorry, Mike," Peter said understanding the math and what it meant.

"I confronted her and she said some really horrible things," Mike said.

"Don't listen to her," Micky said. "You're a great guy and any girl would be lucky to have you."

"She didn't really say horrible things about me," Mike said. "She said you guys were ignorant and childish, to put it mildly. That somehow made me madder than her having an affair."

"So what?" Peter asked. "She's still wrong, isn't she?"

"I know she is," Mike said. "That's why I left. I really didn't want to wake you. I know it's almost three in the morning, but…"

"Mike, you know you always have a place here," Micky said. "We're family, remember? We're all each other has."

"Well, besides Patty and Marcy and AJ," Peter smiled. Peter was trying to make his friend feel better. He couldn't imagine how hard it must be to have the woman you fell in love with betray you like Lacey had, but he knew it was really hard. So he felt a little relief when he saw Mike smile.

"Put your guitar away and I'll grab a sleeping bed," Micky laughed. "We can get your stuff tomorrow, including your bed outta storage."

"My stuff is in my car," Mike said.

"Doesn't mean we can't get to it tomorrow," Mike shrugged. "Just saves us a trip. But it's still late; we should all just get some sleep."

* * *

Micky woke up the next morning early with his head pounding a little. He still had nightmares about his past and now he was mixing those with the pain his friend felt. He'd personally never been cheated on, but knew it had to be extremely painful. Mike had already been through enough turmoil in his life, he didn't really need this added to it. He didn't know how to help Mike feel better, but he knew he'd do whatever it took.

"Morning," Mike said when Micky walked downstairs for a cup of coffee. Micky realized just how much he missed Mike being around when Mike handed him a fresh cup. "Thanks again for letting me stay."

"Nothing to thank me for," Micky said. "You're always welcome here. That's why you have a key."

"I know, but thanks anyway," Mike smiled.

"Hey, guys; how did things go with Marcy?" Davy asked as he walked into the Pad via the back door. He stopped in surprise when he noticed Mike. "Mike, what are you doing here?"

"It's a long story," Mike said. "But it turns out I'm moving back in."

"You are?" Davy asked.

"Lacey was uh…" Mike trailed off.

"Lacey was having an affair," Micky finished knowing it would be hard for Mike to go over this again. He decided it might be best to change the subject and get the attention off Mike for the time being. "Marcy seemed a little suspicious about the whole dinner invite, but she promised to talk to Lucas today at school. She seems to be going for it."

"She was having an affair?" Davy asked not taking Micky's hint to change the subject.

"I really don't want to talk about it," Mike sighed.

"I'll tell you more later," Micky said. "What brings you here this early in the morning?"

"I wanted to avoid Libby," Davy sighed.

"Did you two get into another fight?" Peter asked walking out of his room with a yawn.

"Yeah," Davy sighed sitting down in a chair at the table.

"Let me guess, when Miss Moody called to set up the appointment Libby thought you were having an affair with Marcy's teacher?" Micky asked unable to help himself. He really hated Libby; he had ever since the day Davy had introduced them. She had always been controlling of Davy and jealous. Every woman he even smiled at set Libby off. Even Patty.

"She's really not that bad," Davy said trying once again to defend his girlfriend.

"Then tell us Micky's wrong," Mike said.

"He is," Davy said. "She didn't know Miss Moody was Marcy's teacher."

"That's not what's important about that," Peter said. "She still thought you were having an affair with her. And you're avoiding her. She's never been good enough for you, Davy."

"I know none of you like her, but I do," Davy said.

"There's a reason we don't like her," Mike said. "She pulls stunts like this and she controls you."

"She doesn't control me," Davy said getting agitated.

"Really?" Mike asked. "Then why did she have you leave the beach only one hour after getting there last week?"

"And she's made you come home right after gigs," Peter added.

"And she barely even lets you talk to Patty or any other girl for that matter," Micky said.

"Think about something, Davy," Mike said. "I had to. When was the last time you were really happy with her? I mean really happy."

"What are you guys saying?" Davy asked.

"What do you think we're saying?" Micky countered.

"Are you saying all this cause you don't like her?" Davy asked.

"No, we're saying this cause we love you," Peter answered. "We've had these conversations before, but you usually yell at us that we're wrong and don't know what we're talking about. Why aren't you leaving now?"

"Cause I've been thinking lately that you're right," Davy sighed. "The second a woman calls for me, she jumps to the conclusion I'm cheating on her. If she really loved and trusted me, she wouldn't do that, right? I mean, I haven't given her any reason to doubt me, have I?"

"Only you can answer that," Mike said. "All we can do is give you our observations."

"Which are that she's jealous and controlling and you deserve so much better," Micky said.

"When we grab Mike's bed outta storage, we can always grab yours," Peter said. "It won't be that hard."

"Maybe taking a break will help me get a little more perspective," Davy muttered.

"I'm sure it will," Micky said hoping Davy would finally leave her and not just take a break. He didn't want his friend to suffer, but he knew that Davy would only suffer more later on if they kept this up. So only about half an hour later after Peter and Micky had changed, Peter went with Mike to the storage unit they kept with some of their old stuff while Micky accompanied Davy to his house to pack up his stuff. On the way to Davy's house, Micky noticed a white car seemed to be following them. He couldn't be sure, but when he saw it again on the way back to the Pad, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He tried to tell himself it was just coincidence and that the car had been travelling so far behind he couldn't be completely sure it was the same one both times. For now, because of his doubts, he decided he wouldn't say anything to his friends and would just keep an extra eye out. After all, there was no reason for anyone to be following them. Since they had put their parents away, they'd led normal lives with no problems.


	4. Dinner

Author's Note: Thanks to everyone for bearing with me and thanks for your support. I really look forward to seeing more reviews to come. They drive and inspire me.

Chapter 4: Dinner

"Can I help with something?" Peter asked as he walked into the kitchen with Micky and Patty. They were getting ready for the dinner with Lucas and Micky was extremely nervous. Marcy already had issues with him and he was terrified this would blow up in all their faces and he'd only push her further away from him.

"Everything's just about done," Patty answered. "He should be here any minute so if you just wanna start bringing stuff out to the table that would help. And tell AJ to go wash his hands."

"Sure," Peter said grabbing a bowl of mashed potatoes that were finished. Mike walked in with Davy and each grabbed another bowl or plate of food and followed Peter out. Micky moved to grab the bread, but noticed that Patty was almost staring into space.

"What's wrong?" Micky asked.

"I talked to Miss Moody again today," Patty said. "There was a major test today."

"Did Marcy fail it?" Micky asked worriedly.

"She didn't even show up for it," Patty sighed.

"I don't know why she's throwing all this away over a stupid boy," Micky snapped angrily.

"If we can get her through this, Miss Moody said she can retake it," Patty said.

"At least there's that," Micky said. "We'll make sure she goes to that retest."

"You really think we're doing the right thing here by telling her she can't see him?" Patty asked.

"We aren't exactly saying that," Micky said. "But yes. Patty, I know you want her to be a teenager and I know it's important for her to grow and learn on her own in certain areas, but there are certain areas we have to take control over."

"What if she doesn't want this summer camp?" Patty asked. "If she doesn't even want to go to college."

"First of all, we both know better than that," Micky said. "She's been excited about school since day one. The only thing that's changing that is this boy's influence over her. And even if she doesn't want to go to college in four years, that's fine. We aren't making her go to college; of course we will encourage her to, but we need the option there. What if she wants to be the next Marie Curie and she can't because she ruined her grades over a fling? You taught me that kids need balance. We keep them on a leash, but we can't keep them tied to a post in the yard. She has to learn some things on her own and others we have to do for her."

"And when she finds out and yells at us?" Patty asked.

"She'll be mad at us now, but in four years when she can go to whatever college she wants, she'll thank us," Micky answered.

"I really hope you're right," Patty said as the doorbell rang alerting them to Lucas's arrival. Micky offered a smile to try and reassure her hoping at the same time he really was right. Together they walked out to the dining room to finish setting the table as Peter and Marcy led in a young boy with shaggy brown hair. AJ bounded down the stairs happily beaming at the newcomer, his long blonde hair bouncing with every step

"You must be Lucas," Patty smiled extending her hand to shake his. Lucas just shrugged and nodded.

"Lucas, this is my brother Micky," Marcy said. "And that's Peter, Davy, Mike, AJ and Patty."

"Whatever," Lucas said.

"Well, dinner's ready," Peter said. "Why don't we all just sit down and eat?"

"Sure," Lucas said. Micky felt a little uneasy again. Lucas was very nonchalant and his attitude sent shivers up Micky's spine. Something was off about this kid and it wasn't just that this kid was a trouble-maker. They sat for the first few minutes just talking about simple stuff, but eventually moved on to get to know Lucas a little more.

"So what do your parents do for a living?" Mike asked.

"My dad died when I was three," Lucas said. "Mom's had a lot of odd jobs here and there to try and keep us in our house."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Micky said.

"It was a long time ago," Lucas said waving it off. "I don't even remember Pops. Mom wanted me to get a job last year, but it's just too much responsibility. I wasn't down with that."

"Oh, yeah," Mike said obviously trying to hide sarcasm. Micky, however, was stuck on the fact that Lucas was able to get a job last year.

"Last year?" Micky asked. "How old are you exactly?"

"17," Lucas answered nonchalantly. Davy dropped his fork onto the plate in shock and Peter spit out the water he was drinking. Patty and Mike froze in shock looking in surprise at Lucas and Marcy.

"You're 17!?" Micky exploded.

"Relax," Marcy sighed rolling her eyes. "It's not that big of a deal. Mike's girlfriend is 2 years younger than him."

"My ex-girlfriend," Mike said. "It didn't end well. And 3 years in high school is a lot different than 2 years as an adult."

"How?" Marcy asked angrily. "That's just double standards!"

"He's going to college next year and you won't be going for four," Peter said.

"Actually I have about another two years before I graduate," Lucas said. "I have a lot of classes to make up before I graduate. They bore me, so I just didn't really go."

"You aren't helping your case here, Lucas," Marcy said.

"Nothing is going to help his case," Micky said. "He's three years older than you and an incredibly bad influence! He's the reason you are failing your classes and not showing up!"

"Micky, breathe," Patty said trying to calm him down. It just wasn't working.

"Get out," Micky snapped at Lucas standing up. AJ got a little startled and shrank under the table a little. "And if you go anywhere near Marcy ever again-"

"Micky, stop," Marcy yelled. "You can't control me like this!"

"Oh yes, I can," Micky said.

"I'll show you the door," Peter said grabbing Lucas by the collar of his shirt.

"Is that what this whole thing was?" Marcy asked jumping up from the table angrily. "You set us up? Lured him here so you could humiliate me like this!?"

"We never intended to humiliate you," Davy said. "We didn't intend any of this. We really just wanted to get to know him. To see if he really was a bad influence."

"I can't believe this," Marcy snapped.

"Marcy, we're only trying to do what's best for you," Patty said. "You're throwing your life away for a boy and we aren't going to let you do that."

"Throwing my life away?" Marcy snapped. "How am I throwing my life away?!"

"You have a chance at something great," Mike said. "There's a scholarship summer camp you could qualify for if you get your grades back up and go to any college you want. But with him around, that'll never happen."

"Isn't that my choice?" Marcy snapped.

"No," Micky said. "You're 14. You don't get to make choices yet."

"Well you don't get to make choices for me either, Micky," Marcy snapped angrily. "You gave me away, remember?" Micky felt like someone had punched him in the gut. He tried to say something, but was interrupted.

"Marcy, that's enough," Patty said firmly stepping in between Marcy and Micky while pushing him away a little. "Micky and I agree here. You will stay away from Lucas and that's final."

"But-" Marcy tried.

"Enough; go to your room, now," Patty said. Micky wanted to say even more to her, but Patty pushed him back into the chair. Marcy stormed off to her room just as Peter walked back in the room. He hadn't heard what Marcy had just said, but he had seen her storming off.

"That went well," Peter sighed. "Maybe someone should go talk to her."

"I'll talk to her," Mike said. "Davy, take AJ upstairs to bed."

"But I want ice cream," AJ said.

"I'll get you some first thing in the morning," Davy said following Mike up the stairs with AJ.

"You know she's just a teenager," Patty said turning to Micky. "She doesn't mean that."

"Then why does she keep saying it?" Micky asked standing up in anger. Before Patty or Peter could stop him, he left. He didn't know where he was going, but he had to clear his mind a little and for that he needed to be alone.

* * *

"Marcy," Mike said slowly opening the teenager's bedroom door. She was lying on her bed with a pillow clutched tightly to her chest.

"Go away," she said. "I don't want to talk to you."

"Fine, you don't have to talk to me," Mike said. "But you do have to listen. I know you're a teenager, we all do. We get it that you want freedom and don't want to be controlled, but you have to understand that everything Micky has ever done for you has been in your best interest."

"Yeah, right," she muttered.

"I am right," Mike said sitting down on the edge of the bed. "And you really shouldn't talk to him like that. These comments your making about how he isn't your parent and he gave you away are doing nothing more than hurting him. And you and I both know they aren't true."

"He isn't my parent," Marcy said defiantly. "And he did give me away."

"Ok, no, he's not your father," Mike said. "Your father is an abusive psychopath who tried to kill both of you. And he let Patty adopt you because he knew it was better for you. He didn't give you away. He knew he was still going to be involved completely in your life, but he also knew he wasn't in a position to take care of you. He has wanted to give you everything and he has done everything for you since the day he met you. The day he saw you in the police station, he knew there was something about you, but he didn't know what. He didn't figure out what it was until he dragged me to the foster home they took you to. And even then he was willing to die to save you. He did die for you."

"He died?" Marcy asked.

"The first time he had surgery," Mike said. "His heart stopped several times. He was beaten tortured so badly that they had to restart his heart numerous times. He endured that for us. And for you. He should have died. I felt it when I held him in my arms. I felt him die, but all he cared about was how safe we were and how safe you were. He pulled through against all odds because he couldn't leave you. And even after, he dove into a fight with your parents for you. He could have hurt himself so badly that he bled out internally. They could have shot him. But all he thought about was keeping you safe. And now you're throwing everything he did, everything he sacrificed in his face by saying he doesn't love you."

"I didn't mean that," Marcy said sitting up to face Mike. "I know he loves me. I just…I don't like being told what to do. I want to make my own decisions. He still treats me like I'm 8."

"Yes, he does that sometimes," Mike said. "But he doesn't know how to handle a 14 year old. None of us do. But you have to remember that he's not trying to control you either. Your parents controlled you and he doesn't want that on you again. He wants you to be happy and he wants you to have everything, but he's also terrified you're gonna get hurt. He wants to protect you from everything we know is out there that can hurt you. Including some bad decisions."

"Lucas isn't a bad decision," Marcy said.

"I disagree," Mike said. "He's making you skip class and not do your homework."

"He's not making me do anything," Marcy said. "I did that all on my own."

"You wouldn't have if it weren't for him influencing you to do it, and you know it," Mike said. "Micky and Patty want you to have the freedom to be a teenager and discover yourself, we all do, but you can't let that cloud your judgment. You can't let that hurt your future."

"And what if I don't want to go to college?" Marcy asked.

"You do; we know you do," Mike sighed and gave her a knowing look. "You've always been excited about school. You've always pushed for more work and strove to get first place in every science fair. And none of that had anything to do with Micky pushing you. He pushed you to do your best, but he never pushed you as far as you pushed yourself. And even if you don't want to go to college, that's not the point. It's always better to look back and say "that was a waste of time" than to look back and say "I wish I had done that". Micky wants the world for you and with this scholarship camp you can have it. You just have to try. We know you can do this; you're so much smarter than any of this. You're better than this."

"Than getting involved with boys?" Marcy asked.

"No," Mike said. "Than getting lost in them and letting them change who you are. Of course we want you to explore boys. To a degree. And yes, I use "we" loosely. Micky will come around, but he's actually acting like a father in wanting to keep you safe from boys, even though he's not. We all remember what it's like to be your age, but when Micky was your age, he was on the streets raising himself. He didn't know where his next meal was or if he'd even get a next meal. He couldn't think about girls. He had to think about other things. And another thing to think about is he doesn't want you to throw away a chance at what he can never have that you both want."

"What do you mean?" Marcy asked.

"Micky wants to go to a major university," Mike said. "He may never admit it because he loves the music so much too, but he loves building and he loves science. But because he didn't have a real high school career, he's got nothing to impress on an application. He doesn't have great test scores or teachers; he can't say he was home schooled. He wouldn't be able to get into the high end places. You have that chance and you're throwing it away. He regrets leaving not only because he wasn't there for you, but because all he has is a GED."

"I didn't know that," Marcy said.

"He doesn't want you to," Mike said. "He wants you to live your own life without stressing over his. He's really happy with who he is and his life. But that doesn't mean he wants you to not live up to your full potential either."

"I guess," Marcy said looking down at her hands. Something on the wall behind Marcy caught Mike's eye. A little round sticker that said "little helper". Mike smiled remembering when she'd gotten it. At the hospital, the doctors had made her a "junior nurse" making her promise to take care of Micky and Patty while they recovered. She'd been so excited then and strived to help them as much as she could.

"I can't believe you still have this," Mike said reaching out to pull it off the wall carefully.

"I keep it around cause it's what I want to do," Marcy said.

"You wanna make stickers?" Mike asked jokingly.

"No," Marcy laughed a little. "I want to be a doctor. I want to save lives like Micky saved mine and those doctors saved all of yours."

"See, you do want to go to college," Mike said. "You have to work really hard for that. But I have no doubt that you can do it. But you have to try. Even now. You get this scholarship and you can go to any medical school in the country."

"Medical school is really expensive, too," Marcy said.

"All the more reason to get a scholarship," Mike said.

"What if I already screwed up?" Marcy asked. "I missed a major test today."

"I'm sure we can work something out with your teachers," Mike said. "They want to help you. They know how smart you are."

"Think Micky's really mad?" Marcy asked.

"I think he's hurt," Mike said. "But if you talk to him and let him know you love him, he'll come around. You just have to keep working hard. We know you can do it."

"Thanks, Mike," Marcy said hugging him. Mike squeezed her tight hugging her back. He knew being a teenager was hard enough, but he also knew there was a lot Marcy had to deal with on top of it. But he was also glad that he, Davy, Peter, Patty, and Micky could be there for her, too. They hadn't had easy childhoods either and if anyone could understand how she felt it was them.


	5. The Van

Author's Note: Thank you again for the support. Thanks to two kind ladies, Farfisa and Seaecho for the help with this one in sorting out some ideas, and to a third friend, Jen, for taking the time to proof this for me. Much appreciated and hope everyone likes this chapter.

Chapter 5: The Van

Micky walked for nearly an hour by himself. He kept telling himself that what Patty had said the other day was true. Marcy was just a teenager and she would very often say things she didn't mean. He wasn't sure he understood that, but remembered he never really got to have much of a teenage mentality. When he was her age, he was living on the streets raising himself. He didn't have time to question anyone and there really wasn't any authority telling him what to do other than the cops. He was forced to grow up way too fast and he didn't want the same thing for Marcy. He wanted her to be a kid forever. Which incidentally was also part of the problem. He still treated her like a child a lot which pushed her away. She wasn't a child, but she wasn't grown up either. There had to be a balance somewhere. And if that meant he'd have to just suck it up and deal with her outbursts, he would. He loved her, and he knew she loved him. Even if she yelled at him. At the end of it all, she loved him.

There were times where he'd check on her while she was sleeping, and he'd always see her cuddled under the sheets with her doll. He knew at first that doll was a gift from a teacher she really loved that had made her think the world wasn't all bad. But when Mike had given it back to her when he and Micky rescued her, it became so much more. It was her security blanket. He'd also noticed the sticker the doctors had given to her when he was in the hospital. It was always securely pinned above her head while she slept. Those small little tokens meant more to him than any words she could ever utter to him. That's how he knew she loved him.

He smiled to himself as he realized this and started to head back home. He knew the guys would be headed there by now, if they weren't already home. It was late and he didn't want to wake up AJ or anyone else by talking to Patty now. He'd talk to her in the morning. When he turned around, he noticed a large white van just as it turned down a street. He recognized it as the same van he'd seen the other day when getting Davy's things. It had a dent in the front bumper on the driver's side. Micky stopped for a moment to make sure it had disappeared down the alley. Was it really following him or was he imagining things?

Micky decided to walk faster back to the Pad. He quickly threw a look over his shoulder halfway home and didn't see anything so felt a little relieved. Nonetheless, he stayed alert the rest of the way home. When he arrived, he quickly checked the area before going inside. Mike, Peter and Davy were sitting around the table when he walked in and looked at him sympathetically.

"You ok?" Peter asked.

"Yeah," Micky answered. "I just needed some time to think things through. I'm ok. Let's go to bed."

"You sure?" Mike asked.

"Yeah," Micky smiled genuinely. "She's a teenager. I get it."

"You know we're here to talk if you need it," Davy said.

"I know," Micky smiled. "I'm fine. Just tired. I wanna go to bed."

"Ok," Mike said as they all made their way to their beds. Davy and Peter had gone back to the room downstairs they'd shared before and Mike and Micky went upstairs. Micky wasn't sure he convinced the others that he was ok with what happened with Marcy, but he really was ok with it. What was bothering him as he lay his head down on that pillow was the white van that seemed to have been following him. It was odd; it seemed to have suddenly decided to turn down that alley when he saw it to avoid being seen. He still didn't think it was a good idea to say anything to the others about the van; after all it was possible he was just paranoid. It could have just been a coincidence.

* * *

Micky walked to Patty's office the next afternoon to talk with her. Mike had told Micky that he had spoken with Marcy and gotten her to calm down a little. Mike said that Marcy wanted to be a doctor and would try really hard to fix the mess she'd made for herself. Micky felt confident that Marcy was going to get herself back on the right track. When he reached Patty's office, he knocked and waited for her response before entering.

"You ok?" Patty asked sitting behind her desk.

"I'm fine," Micky said. "I promise. I just had to listen to what you said. She's a teenager and says a lot of stupid things but at the end of the day she still loves me."

"Good," Patty laughed getting up and walking over to Micky. "Don't forget that."

"I talked to Mike," Micky said. "He said she was better now. So what exactly happens now?"

"She's grounded for the weekend and can only work on her homework and study for the test on Monday," Patty smiled.

"That's good," Micky said.

"She's mad," Patty continued. "She thinks that because she's remorseful she shouldn't be punished."

"Yeah, right," Micky said. "Like that would ever work."

"That's what I said," Patty smiled. "You sure you're ok?"

"Positive," Micky said and pulled Patty closer to him to kiss her.

"Not here, Micky," Patty said pushing him away. "Someone could walk in."

"Who's gonna walk in?" Micky asked pulling her back to him. This time she didn't fight him and melted into the kiss. Unfortunately, Peter chose that very moment to walk in.

"Hey, Patty, the d-" Peter said and stopped when he saw Patty and Micky. They pushed each other away quickly hoping that Peter hadn't seen anything.

"Peter!" Patty exclaimed in shock.

"Were you two just kissing?" Peter asked.

"Kissing?" Micky scoffed. "Of course we weren't kissing. I was smelling her breath. She said she had some onions and stuff for lunch."

"Really?" Peter asked in disbelief. "That's the best you've got? That's in like every movie and every book. That's just cliché."

"What do you want, Peter?" Patty sighed knowing they'd been caught.

"How long has this been going on?" Peter asked.

"Probably about five years," Patty answered.

"And you've kept this a secret for that long!?" Peter asked. "Why didn't you tell anyone!?"

"Cause we knew you'd get mad like this," Micky answered.

"I'm not mad that you were kissing her, Micky," Peter said. "I'm mad you kept it from me."

"Really?" Micky asked. "You're ok with this?"

"I was ok with her being with Alan, wasn't I?" Peter asked. "You both are definitely a much bigger step up from who she could be with. You're my best friend, Micky, and because of that, I trust you not to hurt her. Trust you more than anyone else. Again, you should have told me."

"I'm sorry, Peter," Patty said. "We didn't tell you because we thought you'd be mad. And we didn't exactly think Marcy could handle this either. She's been through enough and this would just be too weird for her."

"You've been together five years which tells me you guys really like each other," Peter said. "You can't keep something like that a secret forever. It's not healthy for either of you. Think about that. I just came in here to tell you the delivery truck is here waiting for you to sign for it."

"Thank you, Peter," Patty said before Peter turned to leave. "He's got a point. I really don't like hiding this. From either of them."

"I know, I don't either," Micky said. "But you said it yourself, Marcy has been through too much. And she's already a little unstable as it is. I don't want to set her off again."

"You don't think she'll get mad like Peter just did?" Patty asked.

"Probably," Micky said. "But I think she can handle that better when she's a bit older. We've hid it from her this long, it's not gonna make a difference hiding it a bit longer."

"How much longer?" Patty asked. "I would like to stop answering questions about why I choose to be a single mother. Do you know how many looks I get at AJ's school?"

"I know, and I'm sorry, but it's for the best," Micky said. "For now."

"You're right," Patty said. "Do me a favor though, go sign for that delivery and unload it for me? I have payroll to finish."

"Sure," Micky said with one last kiss before he left her alone. He walked outside into the alley to the delivery truck with a very impatient looking driver standing there.

"You here to sign for these?" he asked Micky sounding very annoyed.

"Yeah," Micky said reaching out for the paperwork.

"You aren't the owner," the man said narrowing his eyes. "I need the manager."

"Yeah, well, she's busy," Micky said. "She asked me to do it. I'm kinda one of the assistant managers."

"Kinda?" the guy repeated.

"Do you want me to sign for it or do you wanna sit here for another hour while she finishes up what she's doing?" Micky asked knowing that was the last thing this guy wanted. "You can tell your bosses I co-own this place. They can call and verify if they ask questions."

"Fine, whatever," the man said finally handing the paper over to Micky to sign. While Micky signed the paper, the man climbed into the back of the truck to get the boxes to be unloaded. Micky looked up to hand the form back to the man when he noticed the white van parked down the alley. This time it was empty, but he saw the dent in the bumper and knew it was the same one he'd seen before.

"Hey, can you take these boxes and unload them inside the door for me?" Micky asked wanting to go inspect the van while he had a chance.

"Hey, buddy, I'm paid to deliver, not unpack," the man scoffed.

"Here's twenty bucks," Micky said pulling money out of his pocket. He needed to get to that van, but he couldn't leave these boxes unattended either since most of them contained liquor. The man seemed to think it over for a second, then took the money and moved to unload the boxes just inside the door. Micky darted over to the van and peered inside the back window first. He couldn't see anything through the back windows so he moved up front. As soon as he peered through the driver's window he heard someone walk up behind him.

"Micky, what are you doing?" Peter asked as Micky jumped and whirled on him.

"Don't do that," Micky said.

"What are you doing?" Peter repeated.

"Have you seen this van before?" Micky asked.

"No," Peter answered. "Why?"

"I have seen this van twice before now," Micky said.

"Ok, but that's not that unusual," Peter said. "This isn't a big city."

"Three times in less than a week?" Micky asked. "This isn't a big city, but it's not that small either."

"Ok, that's a little unusual," Peter said. "Are you sure it's the same one?"

"Same dented bumper," Micky answered waving at it.

"Why would someone be following us?" Peter asked. "Everyone who wants to hurt us is still in jail. They are still in jail, right?"

"Supposed to be," Micky said. "I think Agent Mukada would tell us if they weren't."

"Like they were supposed to tell Mike his dad had gotten released on a technicality?" Peter pointed out.

"Mukada's different," Micky said hoping he was right. "Just to be sure, we should probably take a look inside."

"That's illegal," Peter said. "We could get in trouble for that."

"Do you have any better ideas?" Micky asked. "We have to find out for sure if this van is following us and if so why."

"I don't know, Micky," Peter said. "I think this is a bad idea. We should just go."

"Right," Micky said. "Go and ignore the van that's been following me around for a week and is currently parked outside your sister's nightclub."

"Why do you have to play that card?" Peter asked. Micky felt bad for playing the guilt card on Peter, but knew he had to. Micky turned and tried to open the back doors of the van, but it was no use. The doors were locked. Micky tried to pry them open, but didn't have any luck there either.

"Locked," Micky said. "We gotta find some way in."

"Move," Peter said pushing Micky aside slightly.

"Why?" Micky asked but then realized that Peter was going to pick the lock. Within only a few seconds, Peter had gotten the door open. "Wow; that was impressive."

"I really don't like doing that," Peter said.

"I know, but we had to," Micky said. "You sure they can't trace you to that?"

"If we clean my fingerprints they can't," Peter answered. Micky nodded and climbed in the back of the van.

"It's full of camera equipment," Micky said taking a look around. It looked like a lot of professional equipment.

"You think someone's been taking pictures of us?" Peter asked.

"I'd say that's a safe assumption," Micky said picking a stack of pictures from a box on the floor. He handed a few to Peter who suddenly paled when he saw them. They were all pictures of the four of them with AJ, Patty and Marcy. All taken over the last few weeks.

"What should we do?" Peter asked. "Should we tell the others?"

"Later," Micky said throwing the pictures back so as not to alert the van's owner to their snooping. "For now we need to talk to Mukada."


	6. FBI

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay. I'm still trying to get back into this. It's kind of working with a little more peaked interest. Review if you like it and I may crank another chapter faster.

Chapter 6: FBI

"Can I help you?" a woman behind a reception desk asked Peter and Micky when they walked into the building housing the offices of the FBI. It hadn't taken them long to get to the offices. Before they had left his sister's club, Peter had asked a bartender to unpack the rest of the shipment and immediately left. They hadn't even said good-bye to Patty.

"We're looking for Agent Mukada," Micky answered.

"Agent Mukada transferred," another woman who looked much more formal than the first said as she approached them. "I'm his replacement. Maybe I can help you?"

"It's kind of complicated," Micky said.

"What other choice do we have if Mukada's gone, Micky?" Peter shrugged before turning to the woman. "I'm Peter Tork, and this is Micky Dolenz."

"I see," she said seeming to understand who they were from their names. "I've read your files. Why don't we talk in private? My office is this way." Micky and Peter exchanged looks with each other and decided to follow her. She led them to an office a little ways away and shut the door behind them. "I'm Agent Rizzi; what can I do for you?"

"Well, we wanted to check on the status of our families," Micky said.

"You mean if they're all still in prison?" she asked. "Is there something to suggest they aren't?"

"Micky's noticed a van following him around," Peter answered.

"A van?" She asked.

"I have seen it a few times in the last week," Micky said. "We saw it just now outside his sister's club and decided to look inside. We found equipment to take and develop pictures as well as pictures of us taken over the last couple of weeks."

"Did you break into the vehicle?" she asked.

"No," Micky lied for which Peter was grateful. He was still bad at lying, but knew if they admitted they'd broken in they could get in a lot of trouble. "We saw through the window."

"I see," she said sounding a little skeptical. "There is no reason for someone to follow you. I assure you everyone is still in prison. Mr. Jones' mother is slated to be released in a year, but as soon as she is, she will be released to Metropolitan Police to face charges in England."

"Really?" Peter asked. "I thought she'd already served time for what she did to Davy."

"She did, but her crimes didn't stop there," Rizzi said. "Drug addicts tend to be in and out of jail their whole lives."

"I guess," Peter said.

"Couldn't any of our parents hire someone to follow us?" Micky asked. "Maybe to mess with us or kill us? I mean, they're in the same prison so they can easily collaborate with each other."

"No," Rizzi answered. "Every one of them is monitored closely. They're all in the same prison, yes, but the males and females are separated. They cannot have any contact with each other. Men on one side, women on another. The only common area is the library, but time to use it is scheduled and monitored. They cannot mingle with each other. Their phone calls and mail are monitored. They can't do anything. You're safe."

"Then why is this van following us?" Micky asked.

"I don't know, but I will look into it if you want," Rizzi said.

"That's why we came here," Peter said.

"Alright, did you get the license plate?" she asked.

"Yes," Micky said taking a sheet of paper out of his pocket and sliding it across the table to her.

"I'll see what I can find out, but I can't guarantee it'll be quickly," she said.

"Thank you," Peter said when Micky was about to argue. Peter knew they had a lot of work to do and a weird van Micky had seen a few times wasn't high priority. There was no indication this van was sinister. Even the pictures were all at a distance. It could have just been a fan for all they knew.

On the way back to the house, Peter and Micky discussed the possibilities of the van owner, how things were going with Marcy and even discussed his relationship with Patty. Micky still seemed nervous that Peter had found out, but Peter tried to assure him again that he didn't mind that they were together. After all the only thing Peter really cared about was Patty and Micky's happiness. As long as they were happy, Peter was happy.

They had also decided to keep this whole thing quiet for the time being. They weren't sure anything really bad was going on, so they decided it would be better to not worry the others unjustifiably. When they got back to the Pad, they were confronted by Patty, Mike and Davy standing in the living room.

"What happened?" Patty asked confronting them. "Where did you go?"

"What are you talking about?" Micky asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you," Patty answered. "My bartender said you took off in a hurry and looked scared."

"Oh, that," Micky said. "It's nothing. Probably."

"Probably?" Davy asked.

"Peter?" Patty asked turning to him. Suddenly Peter felt very uncomfortable. He didn't want to worry her for nothing, but he couldn't lie to his sister either.

"Just tell her, Peter," Micky sighed sinking into a nearby chair. "She's gonna find out, but remember we didn't want to tell you because we don't know if we're even right."

"Right about what?" Davy asked sounding nervous.

"Micky said he's been seeing a van following him around," Peter said. "We took a slight peek inside and saw pictures of us, so we reported it to the FBI."

"Pictures?" Mike asked. "What kind of pictures."

"Just random pictures of us," Micky answered. "But it proves whoever was driving the van was following us in order to take them. Though we don't know why."

"Why else?" Davy asked angrily.

"You peeked?" Patty interrupted before anyone could answer. "Like through the window? Please tell me it was only through the window."

"I don't think they could have seen that much detail about pictures through a window," Mike muttered.

"You made Peter break into the van?!" Patty whirled on Micky before either Peter or Micky could actually answer her question. He knew Patty was just trying to protect Peter and she was angry without someone she could really take it out on.

"He didn't make me do anything," Peter said. "I volunteered to do it myself when Micky was gonna break the window."

"Ok, before this goes any further…" Mike said positioning himself between Patty and Micky who seemed somehow even angrier. "What did Mukada say?"

"He wasn't there," Micky answered. "He transferred, but we spoke to Agent Rizzi, his replacement. She said she'd look into it."

"Look into it?" Davy asked. "It's obvious, isn't it? Our parents hired someone to follow us!"

"Everyone is still in jail," Micky assured them. "My parents can't talk to each other and neither can Peter's. They're all separated. They can't do anything."

"And they don't have any money anymore," Peter added.

"Well, they figured it out somehow," Davy said. "Who else would want to follow us?"

"It could be something completely normal," Peter said.

"There's nothing normal about stalking," Mike said. "But you guys have a point. It could be just anyone. And it's not like our families are the only people in our lives we've ever crossed. We've put a lot of people behind bars."

"Fans stalk the Beatles and The Who all the time," Peter said.

"We aren't the Beatles or The Who," Davy said. "This stinks of something a little more personal."

"I doubt if our parents were involved, they'd hire someone stupid enough to let Micky and Peter get that close to them," Patty said.

"That's actually a very good point," Mike said.

"Unless they're trying to freak us out," Davy said.

"If they are, then it's working," Mike said. "Are you gonna keep letting them win?"

"What if they're trying to freak us out to cover something up?" Micky said.

"Like what?" Peter asked. "You think they're gonna try and escape? They can't."

"I wouldn't put it past them to try," Micky said.

"They can't though," Mike said. "They're too heavily guarded. All the more reason for us to not let them get to us."

"Maybe we should try to find out," Micky said.

"Maybe we should leave it to the FBI," Mike answered.

"They really don't seem to view this as a top priority," Davy said. "And how helpful have the authorities really been in the past?"

"Mukada helped," Peter said.

"Yeah, but even then he was often a few minutes too late," Micky said.

"Ok, say we put thought into this theory that they're planning an escape," Mike said. "How are we going to find out? Ask them?"

"Why not?" Micky said.

"Cause they'll lie to our faces if they were!" Patty said.

"Yeah," Micky said. "But I think I know my parents well enough to read between the lines."

"You're really gonna go down there and flat out ask them if they're planning an escape?" Mike asked.

"I don't know, but I have to start somewhere," Micky said.

"Fine, you wanna go down there tomorrow and waste your time, I can't stop you," Mike said. "You're an adult."

"I want to go with you?" Marcy said from the bottom of the stairwell startling all of them. They hadn't asked, but Peter had assumed that she and AJ were upstairs. She must have heard part if not all of the conversation.

"Marcy, what are you talking about?" Micky asked.

"I want to go with you," Marcy repeated. "To the jail to talk to Mom and Dad."

"That's not a good idea, Marcy," Patty said. "Why don't you go back upstairs? You have a lot of homework to finish."

"Can you just hear me out for a minute?" Marcy asked. "I've been thinking about doing this for a while; like almost a year. Micky, you were able to stand up to them, I wasn't."

"You testified against them in court," Patty said.

"That was different," Marcy said. "I didn't really even look at them. I couldn't look at them. I didn't feel any different, even after giving my victim impact statement. You got to beat up Dad and shoot Mom."

"I didn't GET to do anything," Micky said. "I didn't want to do any of that. I did what I had to do."

"I know that, but you can't tell me it didn't make you feel any different," Marcy said. Micky remained silent. "I really have to know why they did what they did."

"You know they aren't going to answer you," Mike said.

"Like Micky said, I can read between the lines with them," Marcy said.

"They're just going to hurt you, Marcy," Patty said.

"I know they'll try," Marcy answered. "And it's more than just that. It's about standing up for myself. It's about not being afraid of them anymore. I was too scared to look them in the eye at trial, but I can now. I know they aren't going to care about what they did to me, but I have to say it whether they listen or not. That's not what matters. What matters is knowing I have the courage now."

"You don't need to do any of this to prove how courageous you are, honey," Patty said. "We all know it. I don't want you doing this. It's just going to hurt you more."

"I don't know it," Marcy said softly. "Why do you think I still have nightmares? I want to do this. I know it will hurt for now. Please?"

"She's gonna do it eventually," Micky said. "It's better we let her do it know where we can go with her and protect her rather than letting her do it alone."

"You're seriously thinking about this?" Patty asked Micky incredulously.

"Yes, I am," Micky said. "She makes a very valid point."

"She's gonna get hurt," Patty said.

"I don't care about that," Marcy said. "I need to stand up for myself. Mike?"

"Oh no," Mike said raising his hands in the air defensively. "This is between Micky and Patty. This is a family issue."

"You ARE family," Marcy said. "Please, Mike."

"And what makes you think I'd take your side in this?" Mike asked.

"She's right, Mike," Patty said. Peter thought maybe Patty had the idea Mike would take her side. "We are family and this is a family decision. So go ahead. I want to know what you think."

"Alright," Mike sighed. "I spent most of my life thinking I was a coward. I couldn't do anything to save my mother because I was too afraid to stand up to my father. Everyone in my life told me I was wrong, but I couldn't believe them. Not until I was able to save Micky. I couldn't realize there was nothing I could do to save my mother until I was able to stand up and shoot my father. If this is what it takes for her to see that she has always had the strength and courage to do whatever she wants, then we need to let her to it."

"Peter?" Patty asked turning to him and looking slightly annoyed. Peter knew she was hoping he would take her side as his sister, but when he looked at Marcy and saw the determination on her face, he'd made up his mind.

"You keep telling Micky to treat her more like an adult," Peter said. "I think that this, showing this amount of courage and strength with the knowledge it will help in the long run, proves she isn't a little kid. This needs to be her decision. She knows the risks and she accepts them."

"Davy?" Patty asked dejectedly. Even if Davy agreed with her, she was outnumbered.

"I don't want Marcy to get hurt any more than the rest of you do, but Mike, Micky and Peter are right," Davy answered. "She needs to do this to get better. And I'd rather she do it with our support than on her own. It'll make it easier for her to handle in the long run."

"So I can go?" Marcy asked happily.

"This isn't a decision we make democratically," Micky said. "It's not as simple as that."

"No," Patty sighed sinking into a chair in defeat. "You guys are all right. If she needs to do this, she should. I just wish there was another way."

"We all do," Mike said. "But it's honestly better than how the rest of us found our courage."

"You can go," Micky said. "But only on the condition that I go with you. You do what I say when I say without question. Understood?"

"Yeah," Marcy answered. "Thank you, Micky."


	7. Chapter 7

**I thought i could keep doing this, but i don't think i can. i may add a chapter here and there, but i just can't do it regularly anymore. i met people here. a few people who i talk to and are nice and fun to talk to, but two that i grew attached to. and two that broke my heart so fervently. i just don't feel the passion for any of this anymore. i've been heart too much. this is mike putting his guitar in storage, micky throwing his drumsticks away, peter closing the piano and davy discarding his dancing shoes. i'm sorry. i can't. **

She ran her fingers gingerly over the scar on her arm. Almost lovingly. It was a reminder. A scarlet letter. It told her how the world really was and how people would treat her. It reminded her that no matter how much someone may show they care, in the end, it's all too easy to just walk away. It hadn't been that long ago where she'd felt hopeless and alone when a friend came through the darkness to provide a light. That friend took her by the hand even though she tried desperately to cower deeper into the darkness and hide even more. That friend lifted her up and walked her out.

The start of the journey had been slow. She'd been resistant. She didn't want to believe in love and kindness anymore. She'd been hurt and betrayed before. She'd been let down so many times. But by the end, she walked side by side with this friend. She trusted her. She knew this friend would lead her from the darkness. She had faith and hope that she'd be ok in the end. The friend had given her a reason to wake up; a reason to live.

So many times she asked herself why it was so easy for everyone to just walk away or hurt her. There had to be something wrong with her. There had to be a reason why everyone in the end disappeared so painfully. She'd done so much sacrificing for them. There were times she was in pain, but she hid it. She was too afraid to really express it for fear of losing them. So she dealt with it and moved on. She told herself she was being too sensitive. That it wasn't important. She wasn't important. She had started feeling that she was again. This friend had shown her that there was a reason. That all the sacrifices and all the pain she pushed away mattered. It made a difference. She made a difference. There were times she felt comfortable speaking up, but still others she kept to herself. She still was afraid a little. Afraid of appearing too fragile. But her friend showed her that even with that, she still mattered. She started to believe that people would truly miss her. That she was a good person and a good friend. She felt loved.

But as soon as she reached the end of the tunnel, the friend turned around and shoved her back in. Hard. Painfully. She fell back into the depths of the darkness and there was no hope of escaping. The broke when she fell. She'd been battered and bruised when she fell before, but this was different. This time she shattered. She changed. She was irreparable. She was alone. She called to her friend, but watched as her friend just turned and walked away from her. With ease. There was no pain or struggle in her friend.

It was cruel, really. She'd been given hope and given faith only to have it wrenched away. The ghosts of everyone who left her floated around her. Laughing at her. Mocking her. Reminding her that she'd always just end up back here. In the furthest corner of the darkness. Alone. There were those who tried to help her, but she refused to let them. She couldn't allow herself to be hurt like that again. She knew now that hope was false. Love was false. Faith was false. There was only darkness and you couldn't escape it. You could only try to live in it. And even then she wasn't sure that mattered. If everyone in her life could so easily just turn and walk away from her, was she really that important? Would she really be missed? Would it all just be a lie?

The scar on her wrist was her Scarlet Letter. It was what told her every day that she couldn't let anyone else in. She couldn't let anyone else help her out of the darkness. She was too far in to get out on her own. And it didn't matter anyway. She wouldn't be missed. It was all too easy for everyone to forget about her. This mark symbolized her deepest pain. The closest she'd come to killing herself. The deepest cut she had for the deepest pain in her heart. The scar that would never go away, on her arm or her soul.


End file.
